atari_envy

Here is a pretty good thread on cleaning Atari carts.

Sadly, I packed all my Atari games and systems away last night. I have a 5 month Army course starting this weekend, and I don't want the dog or uninvited guests getting into my collection while I am gone. From previous stints, I find that I miss 1) My family 2) My home 3) My Atari collection. I am hoping to pop unto the forum from time to time when I have a chance. Be sure to play Atari for those of us who can't but want to.

36,300 I normally don't participate (because I am not very good at any one video game). But I recently got this one and it is one of my favorites for the 5200 and 2600.

Not just the graphics, I really like the sounds on this game. Great cart that a lot of people don't even know about. Or worse, at a glance think is no fun (see Video Game Critic review: "C minus" -- did he even actually play the game?)

If the system is working and in good to excellent cosmetic shape, I don't think that is too much to pay. $50 would be better, but think of it this way: $60 means $15 for each controller and $30 for the system and power adaptor. If the controllers work, then they have been fixed (likely with the Rev 9 circuit). Sure, you can get one cheaper if you are willing to be patient and spend some time looking through craig's list, garage sales, flea markets, and/or web deals. But I am of the opinion if you find what you want in good condition, and it is in a reasonable price range, then get it. You might find a better deal later, but you also might end up saving money on travel, shipping, or a system damaged via mail.

Sure, I'll give this a shot... Heavy Sixer ...compared to my 4 Switch Woody I dunno... when I look at these pictures, my first thought is that your 4 switch looks washed out and your heavy looks good -- nice strong colors and sharp edges without the usual bleeding. I remember when I first switched to the heavy 6 from my 4, I thought the color looked a little too "vibrant." But I think it is what you are used to. After a while, I preferred colors of the heavy. If it were me, I would adjust the "color" setting on the TV down a few notches, as well as turning down the red a bit.

Give Xevious a little time. At first I didn't like it (and never was a huge fan of the arcade game), but the more I played, the more I liked it. It also helps to have a two-button joystick. One button fires the missles, the other the bombs. Using a 2600 joystick fires both at the same time. Using my Radica 7800 conversion joystick made Xevious a lot more fun: http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=72198 It's too bad these joysticks are becoming hard to come by. Kudos again to AA members for coming up with this awesome conversion.

Damn! Those are some ugly carts. Do you keep them to scare the cockroaches away?

I haven't had much luck e-mailing them. I would recommend calling. As for the price, I think they are worth it because they won't break down again. I have 4 with no problems. And yes, he is very fast in shipping. My only complaint is that the fast shipping means you don't get your core back, he sends one already to go. In one case, I got a joystick that a dog had chewed on the end. Not very happy about that. E-mailed, but with no response. Decided just to get over it.

Well, I had a bit of a "DOH!" moment. My non-working 5200 4-port arrived last week. Over the weekend I opened it and pulled out the BIOS chip. It was labeled C019156-05. The chip came out easily, but unless you have a chip-puller, you will bend the prongs. No big deal -- they easily go back into place. Next I opened my 2-port system. As described above, the hardest part of this operation is getting the shielding off. Those little twisted metal things are a pain to line up with the hole. I ended up breaking a couple off (again, no big deal, you don't need all of them to hold the shield in place). Once I got the shield off, I located the BIOS on my 2-port.....only to discover it was also labeled C019156-05 -- the exact same chip I had pulled from the 4-port. In my defense, I didn't have a Pitfall or Mountain King cart to test, and the Atari2600.com site states that those games don't work with most 2-port systems, so I never picked one up until now. But guess what? They work fine with my un-modded 2-port system. I now have an extra 4-port BIOS chip. I do have a spare 2-port 5200 in the closet that I could open up as well. But my luck would be that it already has the correct chip too, so I am going to hold off for now. Anywho, thanks to those who posted on this thread. Good stuff.

While not a long time collector, I have been at it for over four years. My observation of recent pricing is that while common games have become dirt cheap, the rare and very rare carts have been going up in price. And while I have seen some of price increase due to bidding, I feel a lot of the recent increases have been driven by the sellers because of higher and higher BIN and reserve prices. Halloween is a good example. A couple years ago, you could get a loose cart for about $50-$75 with an auction starting at .99 cents. But recently sellers have set the reserve/BIN price in the low hundreds for a loose cart and in the thousands for CIB. In response, the bid price for a loose cart has been pushed towards the $200-$300 range.

For some odd reason, I thought the 2600 had more popular shooters than just three....

Eggomania!!

I was curious, so I went and counted. The Atari collection is up to 408, all unique titles: Atari 2600, 320 games: 242 CIB 71 Cart w\manual 7 Cart only Atari 5200, 41 games: 33 CIB 8 Cart only Atari 7800, 47 games: 41 CIB 5 Cart w\manual 1 Cart only (grrrr, this was supposed to be CIB, long story) I have some Intellivision, C64 and Apple II systems and games, but the Atari stuff is my pride and joy.

I am the opposite of that. I get rid of any carts or boxes with writing on them (e.g. names, prices, scribbles, etc.) I dunno, reminds me that I wasn't the original owner. I upgrade when I can get a good deal on the replacement or if there is significant wear such as crushing, cracks, stains, etc. This can make the game a little more expensive. However, I like having a nice, clean, straight-edged box sitting on the shelf. I did go on a run to get all my Atari red-boxes and Mattel CIB in shrinkwrap after I noticed that the majority were already NIS. That was a little expensive buying a lot of games again.

I am curious which 2 you feel are the extremely elusive ones? The original 2600 Beamrider (half-moon/semi-circle version) and the embroidered Star Master patch. Interesting. I don't think I have seen the "original" Beamrider patch as you describe, only the one as shown in a previous link to the patches. And when you say "embroidered" Star Master, is this different than the standard patch as shown in the list? The ones I feel are very hard to get (and going to cost $100+ on eBay) is the Decathlon Silver and Gold patches, and the Hero patch. Personally, I am missing the Silver patch and Pitfall II.

I am curious which 2 you feel are the extremely elusive ones? I have been collecting the Activision patches for about three years now, and I have only two more to go. I would put the number at three or four that are very HTF.

Many times I have looked at my collection and cringed at the thought of something happening to it like in a fire. Sadly, I have never called my insurance agent to discuss. The biggest problem I see is the actual worth vs the replacement cost. In other words, if I sold my whole collection either individually or as a lot, that amount would be a LOT less then the cost to replace it -- not to mention the time and effort. As many of you know, it takes years to accumulate certain items. And often you end up buying multiples of the same item to get it in the condition you want (e.g. "Near mint condition" actually means water damage and mold on the box of a $50 CIB game or the poorly packed squished CIB games).

The trusty glue stick seems to work quite well on cartridge labels, but I have doubts about its ability to hold a box together over time. Don't underestimate the sticking power of a good glue stick. I use an Elmer's glue stick for labels and boxes. It is easy to work with, forgiving, and even after a few years, is still holding up.

For what it's worth Ms. Pacman was never married, divorced, or widowed. Actually, this is Sally and Emma Pacman, cousins to THE famous "Ms Pacman" (related by marriage not blood). They are in a polygamous relationship in northern Arizona.

Outstanding. Thanks for the information on the BIOS chip. I bought a 4 port on EBay today. I will post when it arrives and I swap the chips.

Please keep an eye out for the link. I am very interested in knowing how to do this. I am assuming it is a case of pulling some chips off a 4 port and swapping them out with the 2 port.

Here is what cracks me up, in the QA for the pong unit we find this: Q: I have an identical Super Pong system. Would you be interested in purchasing from me? Jan-25-09 A: I do not buy off line. List it and I will bid. Translation: Q: Would you buy my pong unit for the (ridiculously high) price you are listing yours for? A: I do not pay such exorbitant prices myself. List yours as an auction so I can pay a lower (reasonable) price while I list mine with a high BIN in the hopes someone buys it without shopping around.

There are some good games on that list. Sure, Food Fight is a winner, but if the likes of Joust, Dig Dug and especially Centipede aren't doing it for you, then this system is probably never going to raise your temperature. To each their own. I really like the 7800. I love that it plays 2600 games, can use the 2600 joysticks, and has some faithful arcade ports. If I could only have one Atari system, it would be the 7800. For me, it is the 5200 that doesn't float my boat. I try to play it once a week, but when I do, there just isn't the satisfying feeling like I get with the 2600.

I tried Centipede on my heavy sixer and my two 7800s -- an 84 model and an 88. None had any issues with the title screen or the gameplay. Great game, but Millipede is the one you want. It's one of the best for the 2600.